So I've been AWOL for a few weeks--apologies to anyone who cares, but I just didn't have much I felt like writing about at the time, but I do have a couple things on my mind of late.

#1 - The Virtual Console on the Wii is awesome.  This is not a new discovery for me, I figured this out pretty much instantaneously back when we bought the Wii last year.  For the uninitiated, the Virtual Console is basically a game system within the Wii.  You can download retro games from the NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and the NEO GEO directly to your Wii for $5-$10 depending on which system the game is for.  So we have all the old Mario and Zelda games, without the hassle of having to do the Nintendo Shaman rituals required to get an ancient cartridge to work, and it's just brilliant.  Now, that leads me to...

#2 - What is the best Mario game, and why?  

For my money, I've got to go with Super Mario 64--even as much as I really do enjoy all of the sidescrolling Mario Game (Mario 3 probably being the best of those), I've probably come back to play this one more often than any of the others.  

Here you have the introduction of so many of Mario's now-staple movements--the long jump, triple jump, butt bounce, wall jump, back flip, and dive--he even punches, kicks, and slide tackles.  In fact, I'm struggling to think of any other moves that have been developed since then.  It also might have the best "flying Mario" mechanic out of all of the games--it's still a thrill to swoop and dive without the terrible camera angles that are forced on you in Galaxy.

This game also introduced the ability to choose which level you want to play next, so I can choose to play in the "world" of Jolly Roger Bay or go to Thwomp's Fortress, as opposed to the preceding games which were, for the most part linear (there's some jumping around in Super Mario Land via Star Road, but still not the same sort of thing).  You've also got red coin stars and 100 coin stars, plus lots of secret levels.

#3  Friday Night Lights, the tv show.  I'm a little past midway through watching the second season on DVD--highly addictive.  It's a tv series based on the film of the same name, which was based on a nonfiction book of the same name about a Texas high school (American) football team.  Even though it revolves around a football team, much of the show is off of the field, dealing with their families and the relationships with their friends.  Complex characters, very compelling narratives, and even a great soundtrack.   There's a lot to like here.

#4  The Oscars Itch is upon me.  I am scrambling to see as many of the Oscar-nominated films as I can before the broadcast on the 22nd.  

Down: Frost/Nixon, Tropic Thunder, Doubt, The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Slumdog Millionaire.

To Go (among major awards):  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader, Milk, The Wrestler, The Visitor, Rachel Getting Married, Changling, and Frozen River. 

I'm starting to get nervous--I'm running out of time.  At this present moment all of these titles can be seen between Grand Rapids, Lansing, and on DVD (The Visitor out already and Frozen River on the 10th, Changling on the 17th). 

More on Oscar and these films next weekend.  Cheers!